Dare to Dream lottery turns to nightmare for organizers

The Bryony House Dare to Dream Home Lottery has become a nightmare for organizers and far from the fundraiser it was intended to be.

An ambitious plan to help fund an expansion at Bryony House one of Nova Scotia's largest women's shelters is struggling and is now under scrutiny from the Nova Scotia Alcohol and Gaming Division.

The lottery was created by two women to raise money for the Halifax shelter.The top prize is a luxury $1.2 million dollar home in the suburb of Waverley.

Slow ticket sales have turned it into a nightmare,according to executive director Laurie Ehler.

The last thing we want to do is diminish our name in the community and diminish what we've been doing for the year, she said. I hope the lottery doesn't do harm to our organization.

Home builder Kris Martin and former Bryony House client Maria Sancho approached Ehler last year with the fundraising idea.

Martin would put her new house up for a charity lotto, ticket sales would pay for it along with the marketing costs and the dozens of other prizes, including cars and trips.

Ehler says thewomen had the best of intentions.

This was a one shot fantastic opportunity put together by a group of really well meaning people, she said.

At the end of the lottery, Bryony House would get a cheque to help pay for an extension to the women's shelter.

To date, only about 16,000 tickets have been sold. Ehler says they need to sell 22,000 to break even.

Lottery managers asked the province's alcohol and gaming authority for an extension to sell more. They were granted a six week extension and the department also ordered the lottery to send notice of the extension to all ticket holders.

That notice also contained information on a lottery clause that stated if the lottery managers could not provide unencumbered title to the prize home, a cash pay out of $600,000 would be substituted.

Bryony House said Thursday they are considering applying to have that standard clause activated so they can pay out cash instead of the more expensive home.

The province's gaming division says they won't let that happen and Ehler says she doesnt know where that decision would leave them.

At this point, Ehler says she doesn't believe Bryony House itself will face any financial liability if the ticket sales dont reach their goal by the October 30 deadline.

Ehler does know this is the first and final Dare to Dream Lottery.

Would we do it again? she asked. Absolutely not. It's been a big learning curve.